


Build Your Home Under My Skin

by Faustess



Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alpha Tony Stark, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, BAMF Tony Stark, Bathing/Washing, Bathtubs, Bonding, Bubble Bath, Bucky Barnes Feels, Bucky Barnes Needs a Hug, Bucky Barnes-centric, Caring, Cuddling & Snuggling, Declarations Of Love, Don't Repost on Other Sites, Dorks in Love, Dubcon Cuddling, Dubcon Kissing, Eventual Fluff, Falling In Love, Full Moon, Hair Washing, Happy Ending, Hormone-Addled Fools, Kidnapped Tony Stark, Kissing, M/M, Mates, Mating Bond, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Mild Sexual Content, Mildly Dubious Consent, Naked Cuddling, Neck Kissing, Omega Bucky Barnes, Post-Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Protective Tony Stark, Romantic Bucky Barnes, Romantic Fluff, Scenting, Scents & Smells, Self-Lubrication, Sharing a Bed, Tony Stark Cuddles, Tony Stark Feels, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark-centric, Touch-Starved, Winter Soldier Bucky Barnes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-22
Updated: 2019-11-30
Packaged: 2021-02-18 01:14:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,168
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21519496
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Faustess/pseuds/Faustess
Summary: Alpha!Tony has built an identity for himself as a beta with an attitude because he wouldn't be able to run Stark Industries without it.  Now he's been kidnapped by Hydra and locked in a cell with a scruffy omega who's built like a tank and smellsheavenly.The Winter Soldier has been out of cryo too long and is going into a heat cycle.  This time, though, instead of being alone, there's an alpha in the cell who smells strongcapableamazing.OR... what happens when two people who are convinced no one could ever want them as they are because of their pasts and their current circumstances meet ugly - Avengers style - and Tony Stark tries to do the right thing anyway.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Tony Stark
Comments: 107
Kudos: 895
Collections: Bucky Barnes Bingo 2019, WinterIron Bingo 2019





	1. You Made Your Way Out of the Deep Blue

**Author's Note:**

  * For [feignedsobriquet](https://archiveofourown.org/users/feignedsobriquet/gifts), [Cinnamon_Anemone](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cinnamon_Anemone/gifts), [journeythroughtherain](https://archiveofourown.org/users/journeythroughtherain/gifts).

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bucky Barnes Bingo 2019: Y3 - The Clock Is Ticking  
> WinterIron Bingo 2019: I3 - A/B/O

The Soldier woke to a dull, throbbing pain throughout his body. He felt the reinforced wrist cuffs attached to his wrists and heard chains when he moved. At least he was still clothed, not necessarily a plus, it just gave him a false sense of security. His eyes adjusted to the gloom of the cell he found himself in – it was definitely more ‘cell’ than ‘room’ – he thought he could make out a figure in the corner of the room farthest from him.

Slowly, the figure approached. From the height and silhouette of the shoulders, he assumed the other person was male. The Soldier tried to straighten up, testing the limitations of the chains. Just long enough to be maneuverable, but not long enough to go more than a few feet from where he was currently sitting.

When the Soldier pulled the chains, the man stopped. Now that the guy was closer, the Soldier was able to get a better whiff of him. The man smelled of ozone, leather, and fresh autumn leaves… maybe a trace of wood smoke, and something else the Soldier couldn’t quite identify. Whatever it was didn’t matter at the moment, because the rest of his senses were singing, _alpha, alpha, alpha._

Based on prior experience, the Soldier understood that his last mission had taken too long and that his handlers wouldn’t be able to put him back into cryo until his heat was over. He’d heard handlers complaining that heat suppressants didn’t work. On the extremely rare occasions when this had happened in the past, his handlers had just locked him in a room alone to ride out the burn and longing alone. They didn’t want anyone to slip up and mark the Asset as their own.

The man watched him in silence for several more seconds, then started forward again, moving quietly and almost catlike across the cell toward the Soldier. As the figure moved into a place where the moonlight streamed through the tiny window, the Soldier could make out the thin line of a beard at the jaw, a sculpted bare chest with a few shinier patches of scar tissue across the sternum, and short dark hair.

Now that the guy was closer, the Soldier could hear the alpha’s heart beating and…. _Oranges_ – that was the faint scent that intermingled with the others. God, the Soldier _wanted_ and he could feel his body’s slick starting to soak through the tac pants he still wore from his last mission.

The man – the alpha – tipped his head to the side and the Soldier wished he could make out his features to get a read on what he was thinking. The alpha dropped down to crouch on his haunches just a few feet away. He was easily in arm’s reach, but kept his arms draped over the tops of his thighs.

That the alpha hadn’t immediately asserted his dominance was new. Hope flickered in the Soldier’s chest, though his voice still sounded unused and gravelly when he said, “Do you understand me?” He tried to keep the hope from flaring too much – it was very unlikely that a _Hydra_ alpha was going to listen to him.

The alpha nodded, but still didn’t speak, and the Soldier wondered if he could. The scent of oranges and autumn leaves was stronger now. The others, just traces now, the Soldier imagined as black ribbons or curling wisps of smoke threading through the fresh, crisp scent. The alpha leaned forward, close to the Soldier’s neck, to breathe in his scent.

The Soldier shivered, feeling the alpha’s warm breath on his neck. He closed his eyes and exhaled shakily, baring his neck to the alpha on instinct. _What kind of alpha was this who didn’t even try to touch?_ His nerves thrummed and he squirmed, feeling the alpha’s proximity and was both relieved and frustrated by the lack of physical contact. He wasn’t sure if he should be glad the handlers hadn’t just locked him in alone again or not.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

By Tony’s estimate, only maybe twelve hours had passed between when he’d been grabbed off the street. They’d driven for maybe an hour and then the kidnappers had just left him in a cell, stored away there, with hardly a word spoken. The quiet gloom of the cell was broken when a group of Hydra operatives brought in a man with long, tousled hair and chained him up. When the man shifted and tugged experimentally at the chains that secured him to the wall, Tony caught a whiff of the chained man’s scent and moved toward him warily.

 _Shit._ Tony felt the jolt of unbidden desire tingle over the tops of his thighs and down to his toes. _Not like this. Not with Hydra watching._ He hadn’t spent the last twenty years or so building up his reputation as a beta with a streak of authority and arrogance just to throw it away now. Everyone knew you couldn’t really leave companies as large as Stark Industries in the hands of an alpha – they were too volatile and too easily distracted.

 _How had Hydra known he was an alpha?_ There were a lot of people at Avengers’ Tower using hormone suppressants - both alphas and omegas - it would be difficult, if not impossible, to pinpoint that he was one of them. Pepper knew. Rhodey knew. Friday knew. That was it - those were the only living people that knew. Living people…? Had Obie sold him out from beyond the grave? Had the bastard written it down somewhere and some Hydra asshole had stumbled across it?

What did they want? Did they want to force him to give up Stark Industries or tank SI’s stock by forcing him to come out as an alpha? Force a bond with this guy? Tony felt himself go pale. What if they wanted for him - for _them_ \- to breed and have a child? _What the hell would he do then - if Hydra had his kid?_

Mind still racing as Tony moved cautiously across the room, the pale light glinted on the man’s left arm and Tony could see it was made of metal.  
“Do you understand me?” the man asked, his voice rough with disuse.

Tony nodded and fully expected to trigger some sort of trap as he got closer. The man was obviously disoriented, so Tony didn’t touch, and tried to keep his hands easily visible. Leaning in close to inhale the man’s scent, because he couldn’t hold _all_ his instincts in check, Tony was still careful not to touch. Coffee stood out dominant, with a hint of gunpowder, and the sharp tang of burnt sugar.

A jolt of desire shot down from the back of Tony’s neck to the base of his spine and between his legs as the man with the metal arm shifted and his scent profile shifted to include a rich earthy nutmeg melting into the coffee, gunpowder, and burnt sugar. Something primal in the back of his mind whispered, _omega._

An almost-sob snapped Tony’s attention out of the trance-like state the omega’s scent had triggered. Tony blinked and concentrated on the voice.

“Please…,” the man’s voice sounded ragged and the scent of nutmeg deepened. The man whispered, pleading, “Please, Alpha – don’t leave me here.”

It didn’t matter how much Tony wanted to bury his face in the man’s neck and inhale before stripping him so he could taste that sweet omega slick and…. He could remember his father telling him in the past, ‘I don’t want to hear any whining about ‘instinct.’ You hear me?’ Tony huffed and backed away, biting the inside of his cheek and digging his fingernails into the palms of his hands to try to ground himself.

Pepper’s exasperated voice drifted into his mind, ‘I believe there can be more to an alpha than what’s between their legs Tony, but by all means, prove me wrong.’ Tony could channel his instincts into something more productive – protection.

Reluctantly, Tony moved back to his original position with his back to the corner. He wanted to hold the omega close and reassure him that everything would be fine… but Tony needed as much of his higher executive function and critical thinking capabilities as possible if he wanted to get them both out of this situation. They’d stripped him out of his suit coat and shirt – and left his watch.

Tony’s lips curled in a predatory smile and he planned in his corner, focusing on the mildewy damp smell emanating from the walls. Whenever the omega’s pheromones latched their warm, inviting hormonal claws a little too deeply, Tony pressed his nose against the slime on the stone wall. His body absolutely revolted at the thought of mating in this kind of place. _Mating._ What was this? The Middle Ages?

He wasn’t sure how much time had passed when he heard two voices – could smell another alpha and a beta moving closer. Then the scrape of the key in the lock.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

The Soldier watched the alpha turn his back and felt a wave of despair that sucked the breath out of his lungs. Tears stung his eyes and still, he couldn’t look away. And he noticed the alpha… doing something… in the dark.

Cutting through the scent of oranges and crisp leaves, the sharp tang of metal filled the air and stung the Soldier’s nose. The alpha was angry – _livid._ The Soldier’s mind raced - what had he done to anger the man? He couldn’t think of anything and the alpha had smelled so _good._ Surely if the alpha wasn’t pleased with him, the Soldier would have noticed the change in scent earlier… and as angry as the man was, he probably would have lashed out before now, but he hadn’t.

He caught the scent of two approaching Hydra agents. His alpha’s metallic scent sharpened further. Was the alpha _protecting_ him from them? The Soldier blushed, even beyond the rosy flush of his approaching heat. The tension he’d felt before started to uncoil.

He pulled at the chain wantonly, to hide the fact that he was trying to help by loosening the mount where the manacles had been fixed to the wall. The rough weave of the tac pants chafed against his wet thighs as he moved, and the Soldier caught a soft growl of frustration from the corner. Even with whatever his alpha planned to do – the man still wanted him.

When the handlers entered the room, the door opened wide, light spilled into the room, blinding the Soldier. He flinched and tried to shield his eyes when a pulse from the alpha’s hand bowled the handlers over. Before the Soldier’s eyes had fully recovered, the alpha had incapacitated the handlers, searched their pockets and was stripping their clothes off them.

A blast of bright light disintegrated the pin holding the manacles to the wall and holding them together. “Here. Strip and put these on. This piece of… This ass… This jerk’s smell will help hide yours,” his alpha said. Intelligent brown eyes scanned for injuries and comprehension and their owner looked hard as diamonds, but with the softness at the edges of… well… like a favorite pistol grip – that was about as poetic as the Soldier got.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Tony offered the omega a hand up and handed him the bundle of clothes from the larger man – the Hydra alpha. _Ugh… disgusting._ The alpha agent’s clothes would help cover the omega’s scent - and the beta’s clothes were less likely to drive Tony into a blind rage. Tony put on the Hydra beta agent’s jacket and zipped it up.

“C’mon, let’s go,” Tony offered his hand again to the omega, who hesitated. “What’s the hold up? We’re getting out of here. You onboard with this or not? ‘Cause I’m leaving with or without you.”

The omega caught Tony’s wrist with the cool fingers of his metal hand. The metal wasn’t as cold as Tony had thought it would be. The same rough voice murmured, “Ukusi menya. Sdelay menya svoyey.” _Bite me. Make me yours._ At the same time, he tilted his head and stepped into Tony’s personal space. “Please? I want to be yours.”

Tony started to protest. _Hello… did courtship rituals mean nothing these days?_

“If they catch me, they’ll bond me to someone else. _**I**_ want to choose - bite me and make me yours.” the omega explained, tipping his chiseled jaw slightly. Tony tried not to look at the omega’s full lower lip and made a half-hearted attempt not to notice the side of his neck where the scent glands were swollen.

Tony’s mind flashed through a dozen undesirable scenarios. Having the sexiest omega he’d ever seen being his mate was not among them – not with that movie star’s weekend stubble going on. _Focus!_ Focus, Stark!

Tony found his lips ghosting over the skin on the omega’s scent gland almost of their own accord. He couldn’t keep himself from kissing once, twice, before biting down hard on the tender place and growling in satisfaction when the omega’s scent profile shifted and took on notes of wood smoke and leaves. “Mine, mine, mine,” Tony didn’t even realize he was saying it as he murmured it into the omega’s – his mate’s – neck.

He started to drift until he felt teeth on his own neck, the omega leaving his own mark there. The pain and sour smell from the unconscious alpha’s clothes startled Tony out of his blissful hormonal haze enough to notice the omega starting to look a bit glazed over. Unbelievably, they were still under the ten-minute mark from the first scrape of the key. Putting his hand on the omega’s back, Tony said gently, “Come on, beautiful. Let’s get outta here.”


	2. Drift Away Thinking 'Bout This

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> WinterIron Bingo 2019: O4 - Scars  
> Bucky Barnes Bingo 2019: U4 - Nose kiss
> 
> And a moodboard I made for this chapter at the end - just 'cause. :)

As they pulled up to the small stone cottage, Tony couldn’t have said how they got there – other than that apparently, they’d stolen the same car he’d been kidnapped in, so Friday had probably directed him. Windows rolled up tight and air recirculating to keep as much of their scent as possible inside the car had Tony uncomfortably hard and distinctly distracted the whole way.

Before the tires had finished their crunch-crunching on the gravel, the omega was out of the car and stripping off his clothes. Tony couldn’t tear his eyes away from his mate – and luckily only hit the metal trashcan before remembering to put the car in park.

Tony opened the door, abandoning his phone in the car and his clothes along the way, following his omega. His fingers fumbled on the vacation home’s digital lock keypad while the omega rubbed his cheek against the top of Tony’s shoulder and whined. An eternity later, the door opened, and Tony pulled them both in and locked the door with both the deadbolt and the chain lock.

As soon as the bolt slid into place, Tony turned and with one hand on the back of his mate’s neck, pulled him down into the fierce kiss he’d been dying by inches for, wrapping his other arm around the omega’s waist and pulling him in. His mate’s moan sent a thrill of satisfaction through Tony. “God, you’re perfect. So fucking beautiful, aren’t you?” _Mine, mine, mine,_ the deepest part of his hindbrain chanted.

A lingering scent trail of the cell in his mate’s hair took him out of the moment. Friday should have had the local concierge stock the house for them. Tony pulled away just enough to make eye contact. God, those blue grey eyes would be enough to sink him any day… just like a storm rolling in. “No, no… wanna do this right,” Tony mumbled before brushing his lips over the rapidly healing mark he’d left. He kissed the place and nuzzled in before biting again, taking his time and sucking, leaving a bigger mark and licking away the traces of blood.

His mate moaned again and pulled Tony in close, fingers probably leaving a series of bruises across Tony’s hips and ass, cock fully hard and pressed up against Tony’s belly. Words fell like a litany from his lips, “So good, feels so good…”

Tony pulled away and gave the mark he left an appraising glance and approved of the dark purplish bruise he’d left. “C’mon – gotta get cleaned up. Wash that place off of us.”

Together they found the only bathroom in the small cottage – with a tub that looked large enough for both of them. Tony started filling the tub, adding just a bit of soap like one he had at home with a faint scent of almonds, pleasant, but not overpowering. He turned to see his mate watching the water dubiously. “I’m gonna come and join you. Just gonna get something for us to eat and drink too.”

Indecision and a wariness that Tony wanted to kiss away washed over his mate’s features and the man frowned ever so slightly, but didn’t say anything.

“You can wait for me if you want to. It’s for both of us. Maybe make sure the water feels good to you? I’ll be right back,” Tony promised.

Tony returned from possibly the fastest snack run ever with cheese, a pitcher of water and package of dried fruit he’d found stowed away in the kitchen. “As promised – back before you knew I was gone, I bet.”

His mate shook his head and the corners of his mouth quirked up, “Not that fast. I missed you.”

Tony huffed, but felt a slow fizz of contentment – he was wanted, needed, missed. He smiled hesitantly, “Let me take care of you?”

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

The question – and it was a question – hung in the air for a moment before the Soldier nodded and his mate set down the food and poured glasses of water for both of them. The Soldier took the offered glass and sipped, watching the shorter man fuss with the water in the tub, opening the dried fruit and breaking the cheese into bite size pieces with his fingers because he’d forgotten a knife.

In the middle of this bustle of small domestic devotions, the Soldier couldn’t help the bubble of delight at being the center of this man’s attention. The man who’d stopped fiddling with the bathwater to feed the Soldier a dried fig with cheese and refill the water glasses.

His mate’s eyes widened, “I’m Tony. I could’ve told you in the car, but I forgot. I’m.. um… sorry… for not introducing myself sooner.”

The Soldier shuffled through his memories, which were at present, mostly a patchwork of unpleasantness and frowned. _‘Sergeant James Buchanan Barnes, serial number 32557038’_ whispered in the back of his mind. “James?” he tried and shook his head slightly, sucking his lip in thought. ‘James’ sounded like vegetables he didn’t like and rulers on the palms of his hands.

 _‘Bucky?’_ That’s what Steve had called him on the bridge. “Bucky..,” the Soldier tried again. That sounded better – like laughing, dancing and the spinning swoop of carnival rides. The Soldier nodded to himself, then looked up at Tony and smiled, “I’m Bucky.”

Tony gave him the once over, then said, “All right, Buckyboo, mate of mine – into the tub. Let me take care of you, okay?”

Bucky stepped into the tub and sank into the hot water with an indecent sigh of pleasure and closed his eyes and mumbled, “Perfect.” He caught a whiff of alpha satisfaction before Tony climbed into the tub and sat in his lap.

Gently, Tony started to wash away the dirt and sweat from his last mission along with the dust and damp smells from the cell they’d been held in. “Close your eyes. Need to get your hair wet to wash it properly.”

“M’ eyes _are_ closed,” Bucky mumbled, drowsily.

“I know,” Tony said. Bucky could hear the smile in his voice. “Just didn’t want to surprise you by dumping water on you all of a sudden. I like my spleen where it is, thanks.”

Bucky laughed and peeked, leaned forward and kissed Tony on the end of his nose. Tony looked so surprised and pleased that Bucky chuckled softly and did it again. “Thank you, alpha,” Bucky murmured.

Tony blushed again, pleased, then seemed to remember what he’d meant to do and carefully poured water over Bucky’s hair, trying to keep the water out of his eyes. Next, Tony squirted some shampoo in his hand and rubbed it between his hands before stroking his hands over Bucky’s hair. Slowly, Tony used his fingertips to massage Bucky’s scalp and started working his fingers through some larger tangles.

“You are so beautiful,” Tony murmured and nuzzled Bucky’s stubbly cheek. “Even if you need a shave.”

Bucky laughed again – when was the last time he’d laughed so often? “If you say so.” He closed his eyes again, hands just resting on top of Tony’s thighs and let Tony take care of him, washing his hair and then running his fingers through again with conditioner. Tony washed with a firm touch so even in the awkward spots, it wasn’t ticklish.

“Bucky – hey, sweetheart… time to get out of the tub. We’re already past the sort of pruny stage and are into the part where our toes look weird – or mine do anyway,” Tony sighed, casting a lamenting glance toward his toes.

Cracking an eye open, Bucky noticed for the first time the lines on Tony’s forehead and around his mouth. _Worrying and thinking lines,_ Bucky thought to himself. His mate looked so resigned about the state of his toes that Bucky leaned forward and kissed his nose again before nuzzling Tony’s neck and the scent gland there.

Brushing his lips over the tender skin there, Bucky kissed and nipped the bite mark he’d left before they’d left the Hydra facility. When healed, Tony’s mark would be almost unnoticeable, but right now, Bucky could still admire it while it lasted. “Can I wash your hair too?” Bucky asked, expecting Tony to say no since alphas took care of their mates during heats – not the other way around.

Tony laughed sheepishly, “Oh – sure. Yeah, I forgot.” He bent his head forward to make it easier for Bucky and flinched, shivering, when the cooling bathwater splashed over his head. “Shit! That’s cold!” And laughed, no snarling alpha rebuke.

Capable and kind, and that smile. _I could live forever on that smile,_ Bucky thought and sighed happily as he gently worked the shampoo through Tony’s hair.

“Pretty sure you’d change your mind after a day – or maybe just a long afternoon, beautiful,” Tony said without looking up, a smile still playing with the corners of his mouth.

Bucky blushed crimson. “Didn’t realize I said that with words.”

“Yup.” Tony shifted, making Bucky’s cock twitch with interest, but Tony just put his hands on Bucky’s sides, getting comfortable and steadying himself. “That feels fantastic, by the way, sweetheart. And just in case it needs saying, I will do whatever it takes to make sure you’re happy. Anything – I mean it.”

Smiling softly and skipping past that confession, Bucky said, “Rinsing. Sorry – it’s still kind of cold.”

Tony shivered again and stood up as soon as Bucky had finished rinsing. “Too chilly for me – I’m getting out.” He stepped out and offered Bucky a hand, wrapping him up in a warm towel as soon as they were both out of the tub. He carefully dried off Bucky first and then himself.

“I think the bedroom is down the hall. You go ahead, I’ll bring the rest of this stuff,” Tony said as he gathered up the remains of their snack and drinks and followed Bucky back to the bedroom. 

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

As Tony moved toward the bedroom, Bucky’s scent all but punched him in the nose. When he arrived in the bedroom doorway and saw his mate on his knees, head resting on his forearms, _presenting,_ he couldn’t control the immediate physical response that surged across his nerve endings. “Bucky…” he growled, his voice husky.

Bucky looked over his shoulder, eyes dark because his pupils were wide and blown. “Please Alpha? I’m hot…” Bucky whined.

If that wasn’t an incontrovertible truth, nothing was. Very deliberately, Tony walked toward the bed and put their snacks on the nightstand and bit his lip hard, then again to help him focus. Staying conscious of what he wanted – the bigger picture – was so much harder now when they were both naked and safe, with the sea air and acres of lavender between them and their closest neighbors to hide Bucky’s incredible, tantalizing, totally _luscious_ scent.

His own skin felt like if it could, it would pull toward Bucky like a plant turning toward the sun… which was the horrible and hilarious thought that distracted Tony enough to pull himself together. Tony closed his eyes, “I don’t want to have sex with you this heat.”

Bucky made a half-offended, half-desperate squawk of indignation and longing.

“No – I mean.. I _want_ you..” Tony shivered and he felt a chilly drip of pre-come on his thigh that snapped him out of the wave of lustful biology that was trying its very best to overcome the higher executive functions of his brain. “I really, really want you…” He turned to make eye contact with Bucky, “But I want to know it’s really you that wants me, not just your heat talking. I… I’m not great with relationships. I’ve been hiding – or trying to hide – that I’m an alpha… I just… it’s a lot to sort out for both of us.”

Bucky watched him, his expression guarded, and silently shifted to lay on his side.

Flustered, Tony tried to explain, “I’m trying to think about what comes after the next day or so. I don’t want you to think I took advantage of you and end up hating me. Even if you never did, I might think it myself… and I don’t want to think about anything other than how perfect for me you are.”

Tears sprang to Tony’s eyes. He could taste the fear of losing Bucky’s love – well the beginnings of love, anyway. His chest felt so tight that Tony could hardly breathe, heart hammering in his chest and thundering in his ears. Scrunching his eyes closed, Tony tried to swallow the wave of emotion, to push it all back down into a controlled bundle at the back of his mind.

Then he felt the warmth of Bucky’s hand on his wrist – just a gentle touch. Bucky murmured, “It’s okay, moy khoroshiy, moy sladkiy.” _My good, my sweetness._

Tony opened his eyes and saw Bucky looking up at him, still flushed (almost _everywhere,_ his hind-brain felt obliged to point out) and aroused from his heat, with a look of concern so sincere that Tony hiccupped a half-sob, half-relieved sigh.

Bucky had pulled aside a triangle of covers for Tony to get under. He bit his lip, the flush deepening as he blushed when he clarified in English, “I mean my good, sweet one. Just be close then? So I can smell you?”

After a moment while his brain processed the information, Tony wiped the few tears that had escaped and were clinging to his eyelashes, got in bed and pulled the covers up part-way. “Thanks for understanding –”

Bucky interrupted what was the start of a rambling, apologetic blathering with a soft, sweet kiss, pulling away to nuzzle the mating mark he’d left on Tony’s neck. “My good. My good alpha who thinks of us. With all the good ideas and caring.” His words were starting to fail and were becoming more heavily accented with Russian.

Maybe it was stupid, but the covers between them helped comfort that part of Tony’s rational mind that wanted them to be able to hash things out between them without what could be a one-night stand between them. He reached out and ran his fingers through Bucky’s damp hair slowly working out the tangles as he went. “I’m not _that_ great.”

In spite of everything, Bucky snorted and shook his head and Tony felt those plump lips curl up into a smile. “You are my good – my _best_ ,” Bucky insisted and rubbed his lips against Tony’s neck.

“I want to be. For you, I want to be,” Tony said softly and kissed Bucky’s forehead.

Bucky leaned up and kissed just above Tony’s jaw, “Da, okay.” He propped his head on his hand and scanned the portion of Tony’s body still visible and frowned at the network of scar tissue he found at the center of Tony’s chest. Touching just the edge with his metal fingers, he looked back at Tony and asked, “ _Ob’yasni mne?_ Explain to me this?”

“You want the whole story?” Tony asked, hesitantly.

Nodding once, Bucky settled in as close as he could to Tony with the sheets and blanket between them and listened while Tony explained about Afghanistan and Obie and the first Iron Man armor and how the first miniaturized arc reactor came to be.

Tony thought Bucky was asleep, but when his voice trailed off, Bucky asked, “The Ten Rings are gone and that Obadiah?” The way Bucky’s low voice bit out the syllables of Obie’s name felt strangely satisfying to Tony.

“Yeah, they’re gone,” Tony replied, an unconscious note of an alpha’s reassurance for his mate in his voice.

Bucky nodded to himself and murmured, “Knew it.” He traced the outline of the scar tissue with his metal index finger, the whir of the plates in his arm moving the only sound audible above the ocean outside.

Gently, Tony caressed the top of Bucky’s shoulder where flesh met metal. “Does this hurt?”

After a moment’s hesitation, Bucky nodded, “Sometimes.”

“Can you tell me about it?” Tony asked.

Haltingly, struggling both to search his memory and for the words themselves, Bucky said, “I don’t know… I think… I fell. Don’t remember.”

Tony shifted and kissed Bucky on the nose, “I want you even if there’s parts of your past you don’t remember.” He turned more on his side and kissed Bucky’s shoulder softly, “My beautiful omega.”

Tony managed to stop himself before he started babbling about what pretty pups Bucky would give him. He’d _never_ been so caught up in someone’s pheromones to start breeding talk. Maybe it was because they were mated, maybe it was just because his omega was Bucky that he felt that alpha biological drive to breed so strongly. Tony almost said more when he noticed that Bucky _had_ fallen asleep this time and kissed his mate’s nose again and brushed his lips across Bucky’s cheekbone before closing his own eyes.

Bucky’s heat would probably be over within the next day. Tony’s mind wandered through the semblance of a routine that they’d go through when they woke up – they’d eat properly for one thing. He thought about the people he needed to call, the extra security measures they’d need to put in place at the Avengers Compound, and other things that needed to happen for Bucky to be part of his life back home. But where his mind usually bounced from one idea to the next until he got out of bed and started working again, this time, Tony slowly drifted off to sleep with the scent of his horny but content omega filling in some of the spaces where self-doubt tended to coagulate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're liking this, feel free to let me know! Like most authors, I not-so-secretly thrive on comments! :D
> 
> Thanks to @journeythroughtherain for their assistance with the alpha!Tony discussion on the WI server! (I remembered after their comment! The original conversation was awhile ago, so I forgot! Sorry!)


	3. We're From the Same Star

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> WinterIron Bingo 2019: G4 - Comforting  
> Bucky Barnes Bingo 2019: B3 - Take the Shot  
> Tony Stark November Flash bingo: 004 - “Full Moon” - Winteriron - Mature

Tony had been wrong, Bucky’s heat lasted almost two days before the cramping and irritability started. That was when instead of kissing and petting, biting and scenting, Tony started filling hot water bottles and making tea.

It just figured his mate would feel crampy on a full moon. That just intensified the symptoms: the moodiness, cramps, and tiredness. Tony sighed, thinking the fates had an odd sense of humor.

Looking out the kitchen window at the ocean crashing over the stony shoreline less than 100 meters away, Tony smiled to himself – in spite of the full moon, he had a lot to be grateful for. He had a mate now – a very pretty one, too, – a safe house, and a brilliant AI who had thought ahead to add post-heat tea to the grocery order he’d hurriedly asked for on the drive from the Hydra facility.

“What’re you smilin’ about?” Bucky grumped, scowling as he perched on the time-worn oak of the kitchen table.

“Thinking about how lucky I am to have you, Buckyboo,” Tony replied, still smiling, but careful not to sound too cheerful.

“Don’t call me that,” Bucky grumbled, but without much venom. A whiff of warm, contented coffee greeted Tony’s senses.

“Sugar plum? Can’t use ‘Gum Drop’ – that one’s taken already.” At Bucky’s raised eyebrow, Tony clarified, “For Rhodey, my platonic soulmate. Oh! What about Honey Bunny, Blue Eyes?”

Bucky’s lips twitched and he tried and failed to not smile. “Sugar Plum is better than Honey Bunny – that’s just the worst.”

“Worse than Pooky?” Tony asked, eyebrows raised innocently, while he tried to stay serious.

“Ugh… stop,” Bucky said, wrinkling his nose and hiding his smile behind his hand.

“Whatever you say, Sugar Plum, mate of mine,” Tony answered, delighted, and handed Bucky a cup of tea.

Bucky sighed, “Is this more of your full moon, ‘get in touch with my inner wolf,’ kumbaya crap?”

Tony frowned and shook his head, “No – don't be a brat. This is tea made with raspberry leaf, ginger, chamomile, and fennel. Fennel has been tested in blind trials for cramping and tests statistically higher than the placebo, so it’s _science_.”

“Hmpf,” Bucky grumbled, skeptically, but he took the cup and sipped anyway.

“Want me to rub your back, beautiful?” Tony asked, sidling up to his mate and rubbing Bucky’s back gently.

“Feel guilty ‘cause I’m in _pain_?” Bucky asked, frowning again.

“If you’re asking am I sorry I didn’t knock you up, then no – I’m not sorry about that.” Tony ignored Bucky rolling his eyes in response. “If you’re asking am I sorry that you’re the one in pain and I can’t share it, then yeah. I do feel bad that it hurts and that you’re so uncomfortable.”

“You don’t want kids?” Bucky asked, expression and tone neutral.

“I didn’t say that.” Tony responded quickly, getting himself a glass of water and bringing Bucky some chocolate to go with the tea. “I just… I mean… you hardly knew your name.” Tony looked at his mate, concerned, “I want you to figure out who that is – figure out if _you_ want kids. I want to know you for more than a couple of hours before knotting you up and maybe starting a family.”

“You’re makin’ me sound like some kind of knot-crazed slut,” Bucky said, fingers curled around the warm mug. There was a challenge in the tone of his voice, but a slight tang of burnt sugar mingled with the cozy scent of coffee gave away how pleased the omega really felt.

“Well would you have said no?” Tony asked pointedly. He was still rubbing Bucky’s lower back in firm, but gentle circles.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

“No… probably not,” Bucky admitted, staring into his cup before taking another sip and looking up, meeting Tony’s eyes. Truthfully, even now with the clenching squeeze of his cramps making him feel slightly nauseous, the thought of being full of Tony’s pups sent a thrill down his spine and warmth across his thighs.

If somehow he had to wait another hundred years, he still wouldn’t find a stronger, more capable mate. Tony had rescued him from Hydra – pulling the _Winter Soldier_ – out by the wrist. Bucky hadn’t had to do anything other than follow. And on top of that absolute _competence_ and iron will, Tony had only shown him kindness and tenderness. He was so fucking thoughtful, it made Bucky blush.

Tony set his water down and leaned in closer to give him a peck on the cheek, “Mmm… you smell good… what’re you thinking about?”

“You.” Bucky smiled softly and kissed Tony softly. After a moment of silence, he hesitated, then asked, “When we were in bed and you talked about the future – did you mean it?”

“You mean was I completely hormone-addled? Yeah, but –” Tony snuggled in close, between Bucky’s legs, but not rutting up against him. “But I still think you’re the most wonderful man I’ve ever met and I don’t know how I got so lucky – or what I did in some other life to deserve you, ‘cause it can’t be this one.”

Bucky set his cup on the counter and circled his arms around Tony’s waist. “You’re not sorry you got some giant freak of an omega?”

Snap – a flicker of that steely metal smell popped like a bubble around them and Tony cupped Bucky’s face in his hands, “No. A hundred – a thousand times – no.” The puff of anger blew away and the alpha’s comforting scent of autumn leaves surrounded them. “You’re so beautiful, so perfect for me – I can’t believe it.”

“And it’s really okay if we wait?” Bucky’s voice sounded almost as shy as he felt.

“Yup. You being okay? Your health – mental and otherwise – are my biggest priorities. And your happiness. That’s the trifecta for me.” Tony smiled and looped his arms around Bucky’s neck.

Bucky pressed for more, “Yeah? You seem awfully sure about a guy you picked up while you were kidnapped.”

“While _we_ were kidnapped,” Tony corrected. “I refuse to believe you signed up with Hydra willingly.”

“I didn’t… I fell… and they found me. Gave me the metal arm.” Bucky frowned, thinking hard, “There were mountains… and a train?”

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Tony listened and held Bucky, letting his mate breathe in the comfort his own scent offered. That’s when the pieces fell into place. How many guys willingly walked around calling themselves ‘Bucky’ and fell off a train in the mountains? _That’s_ why Bucky seemed so familiar – not just because he was the best-smelling, most beautiful, most amazing, omega in the world… _Fucking full moon sorcery._ “Holy shit – you’re Bucky Barnes!”

Bucky blinked, “I… guess? I trust you.”

“Well that’s another kettle of fish we’ve gotta sort out,” Tony said, resting his head on Bucky’s shoulder. “Full moon shenanigans,” he mumbled under his breath.

Bucky pulled him in, wrapping Tony up as much as he could inside his arms, “What kettle of fish? Talk to me?”

Sighing, Tony said, “Steve Rogers, your childhood best friend? He’s alive back in New York. …He lives in the Avengers Tower I told you about yesterday.”

“And? Why’s that a problem?” Bucky felt like he was missing something.

“Well, there’s been a lot of… speculation… over the years about just how close you two were,” Tony said slowly. “I mean, I’ll step aside, we can break the bond – ”

“ _Nyet._ ” A steely note of stubbornness and an acrid flare of gunpowder reflected Bucky’s displeasure. “You’re mine, _moy sladkiy_ , my sweet. My heart is too full of you for any other alpha – no matter who. And if we didn’t bond then, there was a reason for it.”

He buried his face in Tony’s shoulder, “Don’t give up on me. Please, alpha?”

Tony looked up, determination written across his face and burning in his eyes, “Never. Not as long as you want me.” The intensity in Tony’s eyes softened and he smiled again, “Your happiness – part of the trifecta – remember?”

Bucky laughed, “Gonna have to watch it, I’m gonna fall in love with you. I hear that’s not fashionable these days.”

“Where’d you hear that?” Tony asked, incredulous.

“Telenovelas.”

Tony threw his head back and laughed until there were tears in his eyes. And Bucky laughed too, his heart singing that he could make his alpha so happy.

After the hilarity subsided, Tony offered, “If you’re feeling better, we can go sit down by the water.”

Bucky thought about it. He _did_ feel better. “Yeah – maybe there is something to your moon magic, sweetheart.”

“Science, Sugar Plum,” Tony countered.

“Whatever you say, _alpha_ ,” Bucky said voice dripping with sarcasm, batting his eyes and Tony laughed again.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Later, the cuffs of their pants damp from walking along the smooth stones of the beach, hand in hand, Tony said, “You know, I love you now –” he hurried on before Bucky could say anything to interrupt. “I know some of it’s the new bond and being here for your heat and everything - brain chemistry, right? But I think if I love you this much now, I can only love you more as we get to know each other better and you figure out who you are and how you fit into a non-Hydra world.”

“Love you too. I… think that a world with you in it doesn’t seem so… sinister. I know I can trust you – that you’re always in my corner and looking out for me, even if I’m not.” Bucky cupped Tony’s cheek and kissed him, ignoring the cold sea water splashing over his feet.

Tony pulled only just far enough away to make eye contact, “So we’re doing this?”

Bucky hummed an affirmative, “Mm-hm. Maybe it’s a shot in the dark, but I’m a sniper and you’re Tony Stark. I’m willing to take that shot if you are.”

“Okay… then I made up my mind, gonna have to call Pepper. She’s got to be CEO now. I mean, really she’s been doing it for a while in all but title, but I’m not gonna hide you – or who I am anymore.” Tony said, excitedly.

Bucky listened to Tony make his plans for Stark Industries as they walked slowly back toward their cottage by the sea, weaving their way carefully among the rocks as darkness fell. While Tony despaired over forgetting to charge his phone for the better part of three days, Bucky looked up at the moon and decided that he was a believer. The moon had watched over him and Tony and brought them together under her silvery light. “Selene,” he whispered. They’d name their first child after the moon that brought them together.

“Hm? What?” Tony asked, bewildered.

“Just picking names for our first-born if she’s a girl,” Bucky said smiling.

“Morgan,” Tony answered off the top of his head. “I had a dream once that I had a daughter named Morgan.”

“Morgan Selene Stark, then,” Bucky said, liking how it sounded.

“I’d always thought about ‘Maria’ as a middle name,” Tony confessed.

“Maybe we’ll have twins – a boy and a girl – Morgan Anthony and Maria Selene,” Bucky said, teasing just a little bit, but it felt right and settled something inside him.

“Twins, huh… Aren’t you ambitious?” Tony laughed, then sounded a little surprised, “We really will figure this out, won’t we?”

Bucky nodded, “How can we lose?” _Especially with the moon bathing them in her pale light._

Tony laughed again, startling Bucky out of his reverie. “Twins – Morgan and Maria! We’ll have M&M’s!”

Trying not to chuckle himself, Bucky ushered Tony and his phone charger back inside, “C’mon, you’re getting moon-addled.”

As the door shut behind them, Tony said, “Thought you didn’t believe in –” and Bucky interrupted with another kiss.

**Author's Note:**

> Could not have done this without encouragement from the WI discord server - and we might not have alpha!Tony without their encouragement! Big thank you especially to @Cinnamon_Anemone, who made this so much better with their awesome beta skills (and occasional all-caps shrieking) and @feignedsobriquet for their unabashed enthusiasm and patience. Thanks all for giving me the confidence to give this trope a try! :D
> 
> The title of the work and the chapter titles are from the song "Shot in the Dark" by Liz Bissonette.
> 
> I did my best with the tags, but if there's anything that I've left out, let me know and I'll add it! I put dubcon mostly because the Winter Soldier can't consent to much AND add the hormones of a heat cycle and it makes everything even shadier, so I wanted to tag that in case anyone wanted to nope out.


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